The Delaware Leadership Project (DLP) is an alternate route to certification as a school principal. The 14-month training program is financed primarily by federal Race to the Top education reform funds and a grant from the Rodel Foundation of Delaware,
DLP differs from the traditional principal certification curriculum, which emphasizes formal coursework and textbook learning and offers limited field experiences, said Ellie Ludwigsen, one of two coordinators for the program.
Participants who complete the orientation and one-year internship then commit to work three years in Delaware as a principal or assistant principal at a high-need public school. A “high need” school is one where 60 percent or more of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, or if the building is under some form of school improvement mandate, where at least 40 percent of students can receive school lunch aid, said Debbie Doordan, executive director of Innovative Schools, the Wilmington-based nonprofit group that runs DLP.
Seven prospective principals, chosen from 93 applicants, entered the program last summer. One of the seven left the program during the fall semester.
The six remaining participants are now applying for administrative positions, Doordan said. During each of their first two years as building administrators, the new principals will receive 60 hours of mentoring from an experienced principal.
Last week, interviews of candidates for the second cohort were completed . From 112 applicants, nine are being invited to join that group, which will begin training in late June, Doordan said. “We’re looking only for the best and the brightest,” she said.
The program is modeled on the New York City Leadership Academy, a successful alternate certification program. The DLP has a budget of about $2.6 million to cover start-up work and two years of operations. Funding includes $1.08 million from the state’s $119 million federal Race to the Top grant and $850,000 from the Rodel Foundation. The balance comes from school districts that host trainees.
Participants receive a stipend of not less than $65,000 per year, plus health benefits.